Ama Dablam | 1979 SW Ridge

A USA expedition to Ama Dablam in 1979 via SW Ridge, led by Roger C. Brown. Summit reached on 22nd April 1979. 18 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2078
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID AMAD79101
Peak ID AMAD
Year 1979
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Ridge
Route 2 SW Ridge-S Face
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USA
Leaders Roger C. Brown
Sponsor American Ama Dablam Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 True
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 2nd,3rd
Ascent 2 4th
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries W Germany
Approach Lukla->Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1979-03-29
Summit Date 1979-04-22
Summit Time 1700
Summit Days 24
Total Days 34
Termination Date 1979-05-02
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6814
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 3
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 16
Summit Members 9
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 9
Summit Hired 1
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken True
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(29/03,4600m),ABC(03/04,5000m),C1(05/04,5750m),C2(08/04,5975m),C3(18/04,6325m),Smt(22,25,30/04)
Route Notes Tom Frost - 9 May 79 South Ridge (slightly west of south - left-hand ridge). Jeff Lowe on 30th April to summit when supposed to be clearing mountain of ropes. Basically same route with same diversion into gullies between 2 South Ridge above C1 to C3. 0n 30th left C1 at 3 am and to summit and C3 at 4 pm on a route probably harder than others route. No accidents or illness - Boysen frostnip. That's a hard route and we really impressed with those folks back in 1961. Rocky ridge between C1 and C2 hard. Our C3 at Bishop's C4 and route from C2 to C3 harder still. Ice wall now 50 feet high (20 feet in 1961) but easy for Jeff. A technical ridge all the way from C1. Route was in excellent condition, dry and cold when we arrived. Premonsoon best season when not lot of snow on it. Rodney Korich - 29 April 70 Robinson and Wasson reached summit 25 April. Left C3 6:00 am and reached top about 3:00 pm and back to C3 about 7:00 pm (after dark). On top in cloud and saw nothing. Same members in KTM ex-Lukla - men mostly and 4 summiters. Roger Brown - 25 April 79 Korich's information correct re summit. Came down in dark and Boysen has light frostbitten toes; very cold and windy. Left 7:30 am C3 1700 feet below top and got back 9:30-10:00 pm. Had only 1 headlamp (with Jeff Lowe who led them down alley). Today Robinson and Wasson saw them today 10:00 less than 700 feet from top. C3 established about 4 days before 22nd by Jeff Lowe and Boysen and Breashears. No accidents. Boysen walked to BC Ok in larger boots. No serious illnesses. Ruwitch, Bossier and Dubin did not get to top because 1st two didn't acclimatize and 3rd because dysentery. Rodney Korich - 25 Jan 79 5 pm on 22nd 8 members on top: J Lowe Boysen D Breashears G Lowe Pilafian Wright Frost Lhakpa Dorje Shailendra Raj Sharma, Ministry of Tourism - 11 April 79 Tom Frost reports via SYB radio today C1 established by Martin Boysen Greg Lowe Jeff Lowe David Breashears Date not given. Health good. Weather overcast with intermittent snowfall. Rodney Korich - 22 March 79 Have requested permission to traverse and descend north side. Pilatus mountain flight RQ by Brown to go around not on 20th April which hopes will be summit date. Shailendra Raj Sharma - 3 April 79 Permission for north side refused; request came too late. Tom Frost - 19 March 79 Route = South Ridge, maybe traverse to North Ridge. ABC paying for expedition and were making for them: primary objective is to make a good film of climbing a Himalayan peak. To make a good film you need to get to top because thats the most important part of the film, but must get there in way to make good pix; hence known route on know, not with known varied types of climbing situations. Leave KTM 20 or 21 March, if plane to Lukla available; hope established BC by 1 April and completed with project by end of April. BC at Mingbo 15,000 feet and ABC at Green Hut at 17,000 feet near foot of ridge C1 at 19,000 feet. Around C1 difficulties start on route (18,700-19,000 feet) (need low BC for guests including wives and kinds). Assume will pretty much follow Hillary group's route and camps with 4 high camps of traverse, would need support on north side with series camps; this not yet worked out and may not happen anyway. 2 HA Sherpas Only medical oxygen Ama Dablam Left for Lukla 20 March All Frosts Boysen Jeff Lowe Greg Lowe Pilafian Phil Freedman Breashears Sirdar Ang Temba Wright Ruwitch Left for Lukla 21 March Brown Dubin Left for Lukla 22 March All other members except Korich and all other guests Summit/Aug-Sept 1979 Ama Dablam 1979 by Tom Frost We began with the usual aspirations of a small group of friends going to the Himalayas to do what we enjoy - making films and climbing mountains. Roger Brown was sure he could get financial support for filming an ascent of Ama Dablam. Three years later and one month before our tentative department, he was proved right. At that point, because of the introduction of money, our small original group which included Dough Robinson, Tex Bossier, Greg Lowe, and Jonathan Wright, exploded to 24 as more climbers, more film people, kayakers, friends, wives and children were added. Most important for me, it included the members of my own family. The thrust of the expedition remained unchanged, however - to climb the most beautiful mountain in the Nepal Himalaya, a mountain sacred to the Sherpas, by the proven photogenic route of Bishop's 1961 climb; to produce a superb quality mountaineering film for ABC Sports/American Sportsman; and last, but not least, to participate in an expedition that would be be enjoyable for all. It would have been miracle if all that were accomplished, but strangely miracles seemed to become almost commonplace on this expedition. It seemed amazing: - that the peak was entered on the permitted list after our application was submitted; - that Rodney Korich could implement the whole logistics effort in such a short time; - that Jeff Lowe and Martin Boysen were able to join us on short notice to help meet ABC/s film needs; - that we had (and needed!) Greg and Jonathan, two of this country's finest mountain cameraman; - that our twin Otter survived its stimulated crash landing at Lukla; - that Martin and David Breashears were able to climb nearly a dozen routes on the big boulder at BC (located at Chome, near Mingbo, at 15,000 ft.); - that all of the members continued to pull together during three weeks of effort to complete our first priority, the film (while enjoying our second priority, the climb); - that the unsuccessful French expedition of the previous fall left enough fixed rope to enable us to complete the task; - that eight people with their ropes continually becoming entangled were able to struggle to the top on the first summit day; - that Jeff was able to engineer a 2000-foot night descent over technical ground, thus saving us both anguish and undercooled toes; - that the two-man second summit day was just as slow as the first; - that our health and strength remained good and that we sustained no injuries; - that we returned home friends, stronger friends than before. In the face of such a string of miracles, I stand all amazed. After the climb was completed the majority of our party raced for KTM and the Arun.
Accidents No accidents. Boysen walked to BC Ok in larger boots. No serious illnesses
Achievement 1st solo ascent
Agency -
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2448800
Year 1979
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw ridge

Members

18 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Floyd A. (Tex) Bossier M 1944 USA Climber Ventura, California Salesman for climbing-equipment manufacturing company Details Other expeditions
Jan Anders Martin Boysen M 1941 W Germany Climber Manchester, England Biology teacher Details Other expeditions
David Finlay Breashears M 1955 USA Climber Denver, Colorado Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Roger C. Brown M 1935 USA Leader/Film Team Vail, Colorado Professional film-maker Details Other expeditions
Rob Dubin M 1953 USA Film Team Denver, Colorado Photographer Details Other expeditions
Cully Erdman M 1951 USA Kayaker Glenwood Springs, Colorado Coaches a racing ski team and teaches kayaking Details Other expeditions
Phil Freedman M 1946 USA Exp Doctor/Kayaker Vail, Colorado Physician (family doctor) Details Other expeditions
Thomas McCallay (Tom) Frost M 1936 USA Climbing Leader Boulder, Colorado Alpine-equipment salesman Details Other expeditions
Rodney Allison Korich M 1947 USA Business Manager Jamestown, Colorado Travel consultant Details Other expeditions
Greg Lowe M 1949 USA Film Team Ogden, Utah Photographer & climbing-equipment designer Details Other expeditions
Jeff Lowe M 1950 USA Climber Lafayette, Colorado Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Peter Pilafian M 1943 USA Film Team Jackson, Wyoming Cinematographer; member of expedition's film team Details Other expeditions
Doug Robinson M 1945 USA Climber Mammoth Lakes, California Alpine guide & author Details Other expeditions
Tom Ruwitch M 1949 USA Kayaker Lakewood, Colorado River guide; member of expedition's kayak team Details Other expeditions
John Wasson M 1949 USA Climber/Kayaker Lakewood, Colorado River guide; member of expedition's kayak team Details Other expeditions
Jonathan Wright M 1952 USA Film Team Aspen, Colorado Photographer; member of expedition's film team Details Other expeditions
Lhakpa Dorje Sherpa M 1955 Nepal H-A Worker Khunde, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Ang Temba Sherpa M - Nepal Sirdar - - Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
AMAD79101 AAJ Frost, Tom Ama Dablam's South Ridge - 53:445-453 (1980) -
AMAD79101 MM - - - 68:13 (Jul 1979) -
AMAD79101 MM English, Merv & Lowe, Jeff Two Sides of Ama Dablam - 72:38-43 (Mar 1980) -
AMAD79101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198044500/Ama-Dablams-South-Ridge-Climbing-and-Filming - - -